Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD)

Age related macular degeneration may manifest as the dry or wet form. Macular degeneration usually affects the central vision. An examination by your eye doctor is needed to diagnose macular degeneration. Treatments are available for certain types of macular degeneration.

Macular Degeneration Blog Site (comments & discussions welcomed)

Message from James C. Folk, MD on behalf of the Center for Macular Degeneration and The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Iowa

Doctors and scientists are learning new things about age-related macular degeneration on an almost daily basis. The field is simply moving too fast for patients and even doctors to keep up. You need someone on the inside to interpret the new information and present it to you clearly. Someone who can tell you what is important and what is not. My colleagues and I want to do this for you. We are not paid by any drug or instrument company and we promise to be fair and unbiased.

We have decided to concentrate on age-related macular degeneration for now for the following reasons:

  1. We are experts in this disease and believe that The Center for Macular Degeneration at Iowa is one of the worldwide leaders in the research and treatment of AMD.
  2. Treatments for AMD are changing more than for any other retina disease.
  3. AMD is the most common retinal disease
  4. Patients with AMD can do something to improve their chances of keeping vision.
  5. Some patients, who probably do not have AMD, may be unnecessarily frightened by misinformation.
  6. Patients need to be informed because there are new treatments for the wet or neovascular form of the disease which have variable results.
  7. Although the vast majority of retinal specialists are very honest and ethical, a few are being paid to promote certain treatments.
  8. Unscrupulous individuals are preying on desperate AMD patients by offering them expensive treatments that do not work. Not only are they fleecing the patients out of money, they are also delaying them from seeking treatments that may help their disease.

My colleagues and I at the CAMD plan to write a biweekly column on AMD. We will then be available to answer questions from patients or their doctors. The information in the column will be based on the published scientific literature and our experiences with treating many thousands of patients with AMD. We are not selling you any treatments and we hope that you join in the discussions. In the future, we do hope however, to be able to offer you books and pamphlets on this and other diseases at a nominal cost.

Proposed Topics About Age-Related Macular Degeneration:

  1. Introduction- patient with dry AMD.
  2. Comparison of vitamin/mineral supplements.
    1. Q&A: Should mom with significant vision loss from macular degeneration take the AREDS supplements?
  3. Update from the ASRS Meeting- Lucentis®
  4. The omega 3 and lutein/zeaxanthin story
    1. Q&A: More about supplements and about clinical trial participation
    2. Q&A: What foods or supplements maximize absorption (ie, blood levels) of zeaxanthin or lutein?
  5. Foods rich in antioxidants, zinc, omega 3, lutein/zeaxanthin
    1. Micronutrients in Other Macular Diseases
  6. Life-style changes that can help.
  7. Update from the Retina Society Meeting
  8. Treatments for the wet form of AMD
    1. Controversies I
    2. Controversies II
  9. AREDS II
  10. Cataract Surgery and AMD
  11. And many more topics...

If you would like to have a topic discussed, please contact Dr. Folk.

The following tutorial is provided via MedlinePlus.gov, you will be leaving the EyeRounds.org site.

Recommended Books



University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

This website is accredited by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. | Our Sponsors